Announcements for the week of October 15, 2007

The following are the APALSA announcements for the week of October 15, 2007. The announcements can also be seen by going to http://bcapalsa.blogspot.com.

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ATTENTION 2Ls and 3Ls -- Outlines Needed!

It’s that time again! The ALSA outlining workshop is on the horizon, and in preparing for this event, we need your help in updating our outlines database.

Please send class outlines to Charlene Kwan.

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REMINDER: MASSACHUSETTS ASIAN AMERICAN JUDGES PANEL -- Thursday, October 18th, 2007

The Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM)

Proudly Invites You to a Panel Discussion

With the Asian American Justices of the Massachusetts Courts:

Justice Fernande R.V. Duffly, Appeals Court
Justice Richard J. Chin, Superior Court
Justice John Thomas Lu, Superior Court
Justice Sabita Singh, District Court
Justice Eleanor Coe Sinnott, Boston Municipal Court

When: Thursday, October 18, 2007
Where: John Adams Courthouse, Second Floor Conference Room
Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Following the Panel, AALAM Will Host a Reception Serving Appetizers and Beverages. Please RSVP with Romeo Camba at: rgcamba [at] yahoo [dot] com

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ATTENTION NEW YORK STATE RESIDENTS: 2008 Minority Fellowship in Environmental Law

The New York State Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section and the New York City Bar Association are once again offering minority fellowships for the summer of 2008.

Since 1992, minority environmental fellowships have been awarded each year for summer employment with governmental environmental agencies and private not-for-profit environmental organizations. The primary objective is to encourage and assist promising minority students to enter the field of environmental law, thereby enhancing diversity in the environmental legal community.

Minority law students are eligible for fellowship consideration if they are enrolled in a law school in New York State, or are permanent New York State residents enrolled in a law school in any other state. For purposes of the fellowship, minority is defined to include: African-American, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Alaskan native and Native American.

The successful applicant will receive a $6,000 stipend for ten weeks of employment in the summer. Placements are the responsibility of the fellowship winner. In the past, placements have been made with such agencies and organizations as Region II of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (New York City), the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Department of Law (New York City), the Natural Resources Defense Council (New York City), Environmental Defense (New York City), and West Side Environmental Defense (Buffalo).

Each of the fellowship recipients is assigned mentors from the environmental bar, who provide guidance and encouragement throughout the term of the Fellowship. The mentors provide a valuable contact for the recipients during and after their law school studies. Additionally, the fellowship recipients are invited to attend a number of bar association meetings and events.

Application forms are on the bulletin board outside the APALSA office.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 16, 2007

Applications must contain a completed application form, a resume, an undergraduate transcript, a law school transcript (except for first-year law students), a two-page essay describing applicant’s interest in environmental issues and reasons for wanting to participate in the Fellowship, and two letters of recommendation.

All applications must be received by November 16, 2007. Completed applications should be mailed to: New York State Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, One Elk Street, Albany, NY, 12207.

Detailed information and application forms may be obtained from: Fellowship in Environmental Law, New York State Bar Association, One Elk Street, Albany, New York, 12207, or by email at kplog [at] nysba [dot] org.

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FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Commonwealth of Massachusetts – Office of the Attorney General

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is pleased to announce the return of their Fellowship Program. Through the program, the Office will provide employment opportunities for entry-level lawyers and law clerks seeking experience in the practice of law in the public sector. The Office looks forward to welcoming selected Fellows to the Office beginning in September 2008.

Fellows will have an opportunity to join one of five bureaus in the Office, including Executive, Public Protection and Advocacy, Government, Criminal, and Business and Labor. Individuals selected as Fellows will receive mentoring and supervision during the two-year Fellowship period to ensure that their experience in the practice of law in a public law office is both enriching and successful.

Criterion for acceptance into the Fellowship Program will include academic achievement, law journal participation, law school competitions and extracurricular activities, and legal, professional, or personal experience related to the mission of the Office of the Attorney General. The Fellowship Program is an imitative of the office’s Diversity Committee and represents efforts to hire and retain staff from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Information about the Program and the application form are available at the website of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office at www.mass.gov/ago or by calling the Human Resources office at (617) 727-2200, ext. 2029. Additionally, information and brochures about the Fellowship Program are available at the Boston College Law School Career Services Office.

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GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES (GBLS): FALL STUDENT OPEN HOUSE for SUMMER INTERNSHIP AND FALL 2008 JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) is looking for law students for summer internships and for jobs starting in Fall 2008. GBLS provides free civil (non-criminal) legal assistance to low-income people in Boston and thirty-one additional cities and towns. GBLS helps clients in the substantive areas of family, housing, employment, immigration and welfare law. GBLS helps elders stay in their homes, and survivors of domestic violence escape their batterers. GBLS represents low wage workers who have not been paid their wages and tenants who risk homelessness.

Members of GBLS will talk to students about their experience as Legal Service Attorneys.

GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES OPEN HOUSE

Where: Greater Boston Legal Services, 197 Friend Street, Boston, MA 02114
When: Thursday, October 25, 2007, 4:30-6:30pm

Refreshments will be served.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact: Marie Renna at (617) 603-1587
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GBLS ATTORNEY POSITIONS – Early Hiring

Greater Boston Legal Services is recruiting for two attorney positions that will be available in September 2008. Law students graduating by June 2008 and recent graduates with up to two (2) years experience are encouraged to apply.

GBLS is the oldest and largest legal services program in New England. Throughout its history, GBLS has been committed to providing aggressive high-quality civil legal services to as many poor people as possible. The people who seek our assistance most often are women and children who need protection from abuse; families and elderly who face eviction from their homes; the homeless who have been denied temporary or permanent shelter; ad single parents who have been inappropriately refused welfare, food stamps, or medical benefits. GBLS also provides assistance to client groups such as the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, and the tenants of the Boston Housing Authority.

GBLS’ main office, located at 197 Friend Street in downtown Boston, houses the administrative staff and the following specialized units: Family, Elder Law, Health & Disability, Mass. Medicare Advocacy Project, Housing, Immigration, Employment, Welfare and Asian Outreach. In addition, GBLS’ Cambridge office consists of advocate teams comprised of Housing, Elder, Income, Mental Health & Disability Rights. The attorneys hired pursuant to this announcement could be placed in any of these substantive units.

GBLS is an AA/EO employer, committed to promoting diversity in its workforce. Excellent benefits packet includes a student loan repayment assistance program.

Please send resume, cover letter and writing sample (transcripts for recent grads) via email to jobs [at] gbls [dot] org, or to:

Sonia Marquez
Personnel Director
197 Friend Street
Boston, MA 02114
Job Code: 2ATT-EH

Please refer to job code when applying. Applications will be accepted until the end of October, 2007.
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STAFF ATTORNEY POSITION – Housing Unit

GBLS has an opening for a staff attorney in the Housing Unit. The staff attorney’s responsibilities will primarily be representing a high volume of tenants facing eviction and may also include some of the full range of activities of the Housing Unit; examples include: Homeless families in need of shelter and housing tenant groups seeking to preserve the affordability of their housing in light of the loss of federal and state subsidies and affirmative litigation. In addition to a substantial trial caseload, the work is likely to include participation in legislative and administrative advocacy projects and impact litigation. Some night meetings will be required.

Qualifications: Prior housing law and/or trial experience is required. Two years experience is preferred. Law school clinical work may be considered. Fluency in one or more of the non-English languages spoken by GBLS clients is preferred.

GBLS is an AA/EO/Handicapped employer committed to diversity in the workforce and regards differences as assets. Salary is based on union scale. Generous benefits package, including 100% paid health and dental for full-time employees and student loan repayment assistance plan for eligible attorneys. Candidates should submit resumes and a letter of application to Sonia Marquez, Personnel Director, at Greater Boston Legal Services, 197 Friend Street, Boston, MA 02114 or via email at jobs [at] gbls [dot] org. The letter of application should indicate why the candidate is interested in this position and how the candidate’s legal skills and/or experience would enable the candidate to perform the responsibilities of the job. Please refer to Job Code: Hous-Atty when applying for this position. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.